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Revere Auctions
Live Auction

March Day 1: Modern Design

Wed, Mar 16, 2022 11:00AM EDT
Lot 194

1796 Myddelton Silver Token PCGS PR63

Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $25
$300 $50
$1,000 $100
$3,000 $200
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
$500,000 $25,000
$1,000,000 $50,000
$10,000,000 $100,000
Philip Parry Price Myddelton (English, 18th century) and Conrad Heinrich Kuchler (German, 1740-1810). One 1796 silver token featuring on the obverse a woman, a figure representing Hope, leading two children towards Lady Liberty surrounded by ""British Settlement Kentucky 1796." The reverse shows a downtrodden Britannia surrounded by "Payable by P.P.P. Myddelton." Graded by PCGS as PR63 indicating an average or slightly weak strike with moderate marks or hairlines.

In the winter of 1795-1796 Myddelton advertised large tracts of land he had bought in Kentucky and convinced over 1,200 farmers, artisans, and laborers to move with him. Together with Matthew Boulton of the Soho Mint and Conrad Kuchler, a German engraver, he designed these tokens for his new settlement. The design has been interpreted as an allusion to Britain's loss of the American colonies and perhaps even more specifically to the defeat at Yorktown. It was soon after the first coins were struck that Myddelton's plans were dashed. His plans for a colony in Kentucky were in breach of a 1783 statute. The audacity of his plan and especially of the design of his coins, featuring a dejected Britannia, earned him three and a half years in London's Newgate prison. Only 53 silver specimens were struck in March of 1796, 49 of which were held by the Soho Mint until they were sold into the private market.

Condition

Please contact us for a detailed condition report. Please note that the lack of a condition statement does not imply perfect condition. Email condition@revereauctions.com with any condition questions.